Integrating Second Life in humanitarian and development training

The paper will address an opportunity for mixed-reality learning in Second Life by discussing the training needs and restrictions for humanitarian and development workers as met by the Open University course TUXR873: Working with conflict: tools, skills and dialogue. The paper will map these needs to the affordances of Second Life, in a context of realistic, practical and sustainable course development, and consider the potential for Second Life collaboration to replace the residential aspect of the existing course. This paper aims to open discussion around the issues involved in developing such a course. This work is relevant to all sectors of education who might consider embedding virtual world role play into a course. The work is particularly relevant to providers of distance learning, especially in developing countries.